THE CREED-FORGERS DETECTED IN REPLY to a Pamphlet Falsly Called The Quakers-Creed Containing Twelve ARTICLES Published by some who have not joyned with Geo. Keith in his Pride and Contradiction but Testifie against both him and them that joyn with him therein Let the lying Lips be put to silence which speaketh grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the Righteous Psal 31.18 For he that hideth Hatred with lying Lips and he that uttereth a Slander is a Fool Prov. 10.18 LONDON Printed and Sold by T. Sowle in White-Hart-Court in Gracious-street and at the Bible in Leaden-Hall street 1700. THE Creed-Forgers Detected c. INTRODUCTION IT 's no ways pleasant to us that we have occasion on this wise to appear against any but especially against such whom we love and are sorry they should draw back into those ways where some of them that have so done could find in days past no more true Peace and Satisfaction to their poor Souls than we could whilst we abode there which was the only Reason we left them And this encreases our Sorrow and we believe will their Condemnation That they should publish such things of us which we cannot but think they know in their own Consciences to be false viz. That they imbibed many hurtful Antichristian Principles which were instilled into them by our Leaders and Teachers and that they have been taught by them and their Preachments to slight and undervalue the holy Scriptures and to insinuate as if the Doctrine of Christ crucified and obedience to his holy Institutions were not minded by us and that we are no Christians and that they used their utmost endeavours not only to inform us of our vile and abominable Errors in Fundamentals but to Reclaim us and that we wilfully take to our selves Guilt of all our Antichristian Errors And when they have thus most falsly and uncharitably Charged us instead of Proving they query in their Introduction What Consequence can there be inferr'd but that they wilfully take on them the Guilt of all their Antichristian Errors So that from false Premises they draw wrong Consequences and from thence make undue Inferrences and then say To what purpose so many particular Persons giving forth Creeds palpably Contradicting the former Creeds And yet must tell them as we are not accountable for the sense of this they are not so fair and ingenuous as to name one of these Contradictory Creeds nor the Persons that made them they call Creeds but as boldly undertake to forge one as falsly to call it The Quakers Creed containing Twelve Articles to which we shall Reply But say they give us leave by the way to tell you That whatsoever the high Pretentions of any may be to Christianity yet in their bold opposing the Positive Commands of Christ they plainly demonstrate themselves to be no Christians and from such every sincere Person ought to withdraw and come out from their Communion But not too fast for sure the contrary is true and you do here but beg the Question and take that for granted which you neither have nor can prove and so have made too much haste For you say If any Quaker shall question the Truth we offer to give them a sight of the Originals from whence they are quoted but do not think meet to subscribe their Names nor we therefore but proffer to give any of them a sight of what we have quoted in Reply And hope our Negation to what they have Charged together with what we have urged may have that Credit with the Impartial as at least to prevail with them to suspend their Judgments till we are as truly Convicted as we are falsly Charged And we hope our Principles Doctrines and Conversations will appear upon a serious Examination and due Enquiry as Orthodox Christian and Agreeable to Holy Scriptures as any of theirs And that we shall by the Grace of God as we have so continued demean our selves in all Respects and to all Persons so as to keep a Conscience void of offence towards God and all Men although all manner of Evil may as Christ said it should be spoken against us falsly for his Name sake and not for our Evil-doing that 's our Comfort So desiring those that Read this little Book to follow this wise Advice Before Judgment Examine thy self and in the Day of Visitation thou shalt find Mercy SECT I. The Quakers deny the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity P. 13. The Proof as quoted by these Persons is as followeth IF God as the Scriptures testifieth had never been Declared or Believed W. P 's Sandy Foundation p. 12 13 15. but as the Holy One then will it follow That God is not a Holy Three nor doth Subsist in Three distinct and separate Holy Ones And since the Father is God the Son is God and the Spirit is God then unless the Father Son and Spirit are Three Distinct Nothings they must be Three Distinct Gods That frequent but impertinent Distinction That God is one Substance P. 12 15. but Three in Persons or Subsistances a most absurd Blasphemy They the Trinitarians must necessarily conclude their kind of Trinity a Fiction Now these Persons giving this as a Reason for their leaving the Quakers and charging them with Error for thus Writing and accounting it an Error against the very Foundation of the Christian Religion and an Antichristian Principle it may be taken for granted with them to be Truth to hold the contrary viz. That God as the Scriptures hath always declared and we believe is a Holy Three and doth consist in Three distinct and separate Holy Ones and since the Father is God the Son is God and the Spirit is God then they are not three distinct Nothings but three distinct Substances and three distinct Gods And that the frequent Distinction That God is one Substance but Three in Persons or Subsistances is Pertinent and no absurd Blasphemy and the Trinitarians do not necessarily conclude this kind of Trinity a Fiction Let these New Members of the Church enquire of Dr. Sherleek and Dr. South whether this be the Orthodox Opinion of the Church of England and is according to Scripture or of their Leader that hath caused them to Err. G. K. who said as followeth As concerning the Essence of the Christian Faith Serious Appeal p. 3. Writ 1692. as to the matter of it I declare sincerely without all Equivocation or mental Reservation in the true and general sense of the Words That I know not wherein I or the Quakers my Brethren of my Faith are guilty of any Fundamental Errors that are Repugnant to the Essence of the Christian Faith The only Exception we have is against the Unscriptural Term or Phrase of Three Persons or a Trinity of Persons but we own sincerely that our Faith ought to be and is in God the Father the Son and Holy Ghost and that these Names are Names of Relation respecting the Relations as well as the Relative
Offices and Works of those Three and this being granted by us in the sincerity of our Hearts we are excused and cleared And that we always did hold as above altho' falsly charged with Error is well known to them that well know us and notwithstanding these Persons pretend this for one of their Reasons for leaving us it 's Base as well as Foolish and very Idle for any to pretend to leave a People or Society for that which they never held and to alledge for Proof what was writ against those that did falsly accuse us many Years since in those things And the Orthodox antiently did not agree about these School-Terms which were invented since the Apostles days ibid. P. 4. to guard against the Arrian Sebellian and other Heresies and we are altogether free of them and detest them from our very Souls no sober Christian will therefore Judge uncharitably of us in that respect For what W. Penn argueth as concerning Three Persons he only argueth against the invented Names Persons as G. K. affirms Serious Appeal p. 10. if he may be believed by these New Creed-Makers and also that Persons in all proper Languages doth signifie Substances and not meer Properties or Relative Attributes which W. P will not deny to be in God SECT II. P. 9. The Blood of Christ outwardly Shed undervalued by some Quakers p. 10. Proof as Quoted The Sheding of that Blood Out of G. W's Ligot Life p. 64. let out by the Spear was an act of a wicked Man and the Spear an Instrument of Cruelty which to lay the meritorious Cause or Stress of Justification upon it 's false Doctrine says George Whitehead This is another pretended Antichristian Error against the very Foundation of the Christian Religion and one of the particular Reasons as they call it for which these Persons leave the Quakers Now if this be so the contrary sure must be Christian and Orthodox with them let 's therefore hear it and it will be as followeth The Sheding of that Blood let out by the Spear was not an act of a wicked Man and the Spear was not an Instrument of Cruelty which act to lay the meritorious Cause or Stress of Justification upon is not false Doctrine Will these new Creed makers say so But we who are so greatly Abused Rom. 8.24 25. 5.1 9. and foully Represented by our Adversaries Believe in him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the Dead who was delivered for our Offences and raised again for our Justification and therefore being Justified by Faith we have Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ who dyed for us Being now Justified by his Blood we shall be saved from Wrath through him For if when we were Enemies we were reconciled to God by the Death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his Life And if any would suggest from this Retortion of G. W. upon his Antagonist's words That the Quakers slight or undervalue the Blood of Christ that was Shed without the Gates of Jerusalem about 1700 Years since they grosly Abuse them and evilly Intreat them for as before we in Sincerity declare and in Humility and with true Thankfulness Bless God we have Peace with him through our Lord Jesus Christ who we firmly believe died for us and being now justified by his Blood we shall be saved from Wrath. And as G. K. saith It is only the true Believer who hath Faith in Christ Jesus whom God Justifieth so it is only he that is truly Sanctified Presb Ind. c. p. 122. and Regenerated and Born again of the Spirit of God whom God doth Justifie And it 's a true Figure of false Christians as G. K. saith p. 130. Ibid. who would have Christ divided and say They believe in Christ without them but do not believe and Receive Christ within them as God the Father doth Reveal him Nor saith G. Keith Serious Appeal p. 50. doth Edward Burroughs and William Penn if their words be duly construed contradict what I have affirmed But that Men are justified by Christ's Righteousness as the requisite Condition and Terms in order to that Imputation and that David lying in his Sins of Adultery and Murder remained justified we deny And let these New Creed-Makers prove that any owned by the Quakers or in Unity with them undervalue the Blood of Christ outwardly Shed for what they Cite out of G. W. doth not prove it SECT III. That God and Christ is in Heaven is denyed by some Quakers And the Proof brought by them is viz. But that the Outward Person which suffered Serious Apology by W. Penn. p. 146. was properly the Son of God we utterly deny This they pretend is against the Foundation of Christian Religion and as a proof of the Quakers Errors and Antichristian Principles which G. K. and others have endeavoured to render with as ugly a face as they can put on it Let us again try this backward and assert the contrary since it 's urged by them that are gone back and examine them a little on it That the outward Person that suffered was properly the Son of God we sincerely own Do you own this and condemn W. P. and some Quakers and leave all the Quakers for this and your other Reasons And do you know and believe that outward Person or Body only that suffered Death on the Cross which the Soldier pierced with the Spear was from all Eternity or of an eternal Generation and that That outward Person or Body only was Glorified with the Father before the World was as the Son of God who was before that Body that Suffered on the Cross Consider these things And whether these things do not proceed from a Spirit of Prejudice and Envy Serious Appeal p. 6. 15 to render us no Christians as G. K. said to C. Mather so far is he and we may say are you from that Candor of giving a favourable Construction upon W. P's Words that you shew more Inclination to Clamour and Reproach than Inform or Convince Come hear G. K. in this Case Because he C. M. cannot fix his false Charge upon me of denying Christ p. 25. Ibid. he essayeth but with as ill Success to fix it upon my Brethren as dear Isaac Pennington whom I well know to be a true Believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and a sincere Lover of him even the Crucified Jesus and whose Soul I believe is in Rest with Christ in Heavenly Glory And as to his words We can never call the bodily Garment Christ but that which appeared and dwelt in the Body it is easie to put a fair and charitable Construction on it as well as on Christ's words when he said ☞ He that hath seen me hath seen my Father and yet many saw Christ's Body of Flesh that never saw the Father But to clear the thing J. P. speaketh this in Opposition to Socinians and did
not W. P. also And against the Godhead Suffering and others tinctured with Socinian Principles as if the Manhood of Christ that was Born of the Virgin excluding the Eternal Word was the only and whole Christ whereas Christ was before his Body of Flesh and therefore He is said to come in the Flesh and to have taken Flesh And if we consider Christ as he was before the World was by whom all things were Created and in respect of his Godhead the Body was not that but the Garment of it when he Assumed it What say you now was that Person or Body only properly the Son of God according to Geo. Keith to Cotton Mather If not Where is the Error and your Reason for leaving the Quakers And in that Book out of which you took that Citation unless you took it on Trust you may find a plain Confession of our Faith in God Christ and the Holy Spirit in p. 149. of W. P's Serious Apology We do believe in One holy God Almighty W. P 's Serious Apology p. 149. who is an eternal Spirit the Creator of all things And in One Lord Jesus Christ his only Son and express Image of his Substance who took upon him Flesh and was in the World and in Life Doctrine Miracles Death Resurrection Ascention and Mediation perfectly did and does continue to do the Will of God to whose holy Life Power Meditation and Blood we only ascribe our Sanctification Justification Redemption and perfect Salvation And we believe in One holy Spirit that proceeds and breathes from the Father and the Son as the Life and Vertue of both the Father and the Son a measure of which is given to all to profit with and he that has one has all for those Three are One who is the Alpha and Omega the First and the Last God over all blessed for ever Amen SECT IV. Justification by the Righteousness of Christ denyed Before we Reply to this we make this Remark That here they do not say by the Quakers or by some Quakers as if they were Conscious to themselves they ought not so to Charge them yet they have made this Note viz. Note Reader Here is Justification by the Active and Passive Obedience of Christ as the Meritorious and Fundamental Cause thereof before God plainly denyed for that was and is wholly without us And now to their Proof Justification by Christ's Imputative Righteousness W. P 's Serious Apology p. 148. and wholly without us And indeed this we deny and boldly affirm it in the Name of the Lord to be the Doctrine of Devils and Arm of the Sea of Corruption which does now deluge the whole World Now these new Converts and Creed-Makers say That here Justification by the Active and Passive Obedience of Christ is denied which shews they do not well understand the Doctrines of those that they have joyned with nor of G. K. neither who hath mis-led them as by what 's before quoted of him on this Head to which we refer and desire them to consider what G. K. saith Serious Appeal p. 10. W. Penn's words are not so to be understood concerning Justification as if he excluded Christs Righteousness which he fulfilled in his own Person but only he denyeth that any can be Justified by that alone without Faith and Repentance c. And if this will not satisfie we shall add a Quotation of a Doctor of the Church of England and quoted by G. K. the new Sworn or Ordained Preacher as it is in his Serious Appeal p. 65. Dr. Cave concerning Justification in the Life of Paul Sect. 9. N. 15. Works of Evangelical Obedience are not opposed to Faith Serious Appeal p. 65. in Justification in that Faith as including the New Nature and keeping God's Commandments is made the usual Condition of Justification nor can it be otherwise when other Graces and Virtues of the Christian Life are made the Terms of Pardon and Acceptanee with Heaven and our Title to the Merits of Christ's Death and the great Promise of Eternal Life Citing Acts 2.38 3.17 Mark 11.25 26. 1 John 11.7 By which it appears we must Walk in the Light as well as Believe And we shall conclude this Head to shew how falsly these Men charge us and foully they contradict G. K. now a Preacher of that Church they pretend to be joyn'd to in some of his words viz. We deny not but affirm That our Justification is by the Righteousness or Obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ imputed unto us Serious Appeal p. 50. but we also say It is Imputed to none but such who have Faith Repentance and sincere Obedience and that is true inward Righteousness wrought in them by the Spirit of Christ Nor doth Edward Burrough and William Penn if their words be duly construed contradict what I have Affirmed And it is false Doctrine and contrary to the Doctrine of the holy Scripture to say Fresh and Ind. visib Churches p. 201 202. That Justification is only by Christ's Righteousness without us imputed unto us and received by Faith alone and not by any Righteousness of God or Christ imputed unto us or wrought in us And G. K. writing this long since W. P. writ the other it shews there was no disagreement then whatever now is pretended SECT V. The Quakers account themselves Equal with God And for Proof they quote Francis Howgill's Works p. 232. and Geo. Fox's Saul's Errand p. 8. viz. He that hath the same Spirit that Raised up Jesus from the Dead Serious Appeal p. 60. is Equal with God Now concerning this hear G. K. For it may be supposed that you that have left the Quakers to follow him should have Regard to his words what he saith to those that would six this on G. F. viz. It is not to be Regarded and W. Penn hath sufficiently Vindicated G. F. and also G. F. hath cleared it in his Book That he did witness both the Son and the Holy Spirit revealed in him who are equal to God the Father And therefore as G. K. said may we say Indeed if Quakerism were such a thing as you and such as you Represent it to be and would fain have People believe it to be or that the â—oth part that you say of it were true it were most abominable and such that hold it would be most unworthy and not fit to be esteemed Men far less Christians But blessed be God our Religion is not that which ye would make it to be nor are we such as ye describe and it 's a great Question to us if you do heartily Believe these things that ye say of us to be true either in General or in great part and if you do not believe so the greater is your Sin as G. K. said to C. M. SECT VI. The Death and Sufferings of Christ undervalued by the Quakers This is a false Charge But hear their Proof as quoted by them True it is they own
that which Died was his Body i. e. Christ dwelt Eminently in him But that Body saith W. Penn is in no Man Ergo that can't be the Christ in his sense which is incapable to dwell in Men. If this be an Error and the contrary Truth then these Creed-Makers hold that which died was his Godhead not his Body i. e. in which Christ Eminently Dwelt But surely they do not consider what their Tutor G. K. saith Serious Appeal p. 27. He saith Christ cannot as to himself properly and strictly in a literal sense be killed or crucisied in Men Mind that then the Body that Suffered and Died by G. K's Account was not properly the Son of God nor crucified in Men. Neither do the Quakers hold that Body that Suffered for all Men is in all Men For the Body as G. K. saith in the same page that Christ was to Suffer in as a Sacrifice for the Sins of the World Note Here is that Body of Christ distinguished by G. K. behoved to be a Clean and Holy Body as it was a Lamb without Spot and the Death behoved to be a real Death Which could not be of the Godhead and it would be Blasphemy to affirm The Godhead died and Ignorance to assert That Body that died is in all Men but it 's sound Doctrine to assert and Preach That Christ who is properly and not Figuratively called Light as G. K. affirms Augustine said Is the true Light which lighteth every Man that cometh into the World John 1.9 and so is in all Men And which Light Word or Spirit within G. K. saith as quoted in his Book of Retractations p. 21 22. It hath pleased the Lord to send his Son into the World both in the Outward and Inward in a weak and low Appearance that he might shew forth the more abundant Glory in that which was so low and weak in Appearance to prevail over the greatest Power that stood in his way for thus doth the Seed of the Woman bruise the Serpent's Head And this will bring People naturally to own the Scriptures and things therein declared to own Moses and the Prophets to own the Dispensation of God to the Jews in that day and to own Christ in the Flesh his miraculous Death his Doctrine Miracles Suffering Death Resurrection and Ascension together with the wonderful End and Design of God therein c. And this Method I well Approve of still saith G. K. And so do the Quakers and are firm in this Faith altho' weak in Appearance and despised of Men that He in whom they have believed Christ the Light that many hate because their Deeds are Evil shall prevail over the greatest Power that stands in the way and that God will tread Satan down and make him like Ashes under the Soles of their Feet who love and live in Him against whom and those that are built upon him all the Powers of Hell nor the Rage and Enmity of Apostates shall never be able to prevail against them For he that sitteth in the Heavens shall laugh the Lord shall have them in derision and Christ whom God hath set upon his holy Hill shall break them with a Rod of Iron and shall dash them to pieces like a Potter's Vessel SECT VII The Resurrection of the Body denied c. Urged for Proof as followeth I do utterly deny W. Penn's Invalidity of J. Faldo's vindication p. 369 370. that this Text 1 Cor. 15.44 is concerned in the Resurrection of Man's Carnal Body at all But the Two States of Men under the first and second Adam Men are sown into the World Natural but they are raised Spiritually through Him who is the Resurrection and the Life and so they are the Sons of the Second Adam Will these Creed-Forgers say They do own that this Text is altogether concerned in the Resurrection of Man's Carnal Body and not in the Two States of Men under the First and Second Adam and that they are not raised Spiritually through Him who is the Resurrection and the Life and that they are not so the Sons of the Second Adam If they do will this be good Doctrine Read what G. K. saith on this Head Because we own an Inward Quickning Serious Appeal p. 52. and being Raised with Christ in our Souls and Inward Man that therefore we deny any future Resurrection of the Body after Death which we deny not but affirm against Ranters and vain Notionists And as for his Citing W. Penn's Words arguing against that same Numerical Body P. 9. its Rising at the Resurrection it is clear that he understandeth the same exact Number of small Particles or Dusts neither more nor less than what is commonly Buried and what hurt is there in that And we affirm as our Friends often have that we believe there will be a Resurrection both of the Just and Unjust and if any Man now shall say How are the Dead raised and with what Body do they come We answer as Paul did â— Cor. 15.39 36 37 38. Thou Fool that which thou sowest is not quickened except it dye And that which thou sowest thou sowest not that Body that shall be but bear Grain it may chance of Wheat or some other Grain But God giveth it a Body as it pleaseth him to every Seed it s own Body And it 's false to say as these Folks do in p. 13. 14. That we mean other things and maliciously to compare us to the Papists And its wrong to suggest that if what we say is true then Christ did not dye for we firmly believe Christ dyed according to the Scriptures and that he died for our Sins and yet we are not afraid to assert That the Life of the Word that was in the beginning with God and was God which Life is the Light of Men dyed not And yet we sincerely believe Christ bare our Sins in his own Body on the Tree of the Cross and Shed his Blood even the same Christ that was born of the Virgin Mary and was Crucified Dead and Buried and Raised again and is ascended into Heaven and ever liveth to make Intercession for us and therefore in Contradiction to these Errers and Strayers from the Lords Way we affirm That he we Own profess and Believe in is the Christ of God to whom one day they all must be accountable and receive a Reward according to their Works SECT VIII Jesus of Nazareth denyed to be the Son of God For Proof they quote viz. The Light within sufficient to Salvation without any thing else G. Whitehead's Antidoe p. 28 viz. Without the Man Christ Jesus and Faith in him If what G. Whitehead hath asserted be a Truth then we may bid adieu to Jesus of Nazareth Answ This is is a piece of Forgery for what 's pretended as above to be in G. W's Antidote is not there to be found as quoted but by search we find G. W. there writes viz. s seeing G. K.